Urban legend
There’s a theory that the wedding band that we see today has evolved from the bands that played during the early days of the British Raj. In the days before wireless communication, the bagpipes were the only way that thousands of troops could immediately be informed of their commander’s orders.
And when homesick British soldiers wanted to hear something to remind them of England, these same musicians could be pressed into service to perform at dances and concerts.
When they performed, they wore uniforms that combined elements of both English and Indian military finery. Bands resembling these have now replaced the traditional folk players.
However, professor of anthropology at University of Auckland, Gregory Booth, who has written a book on Indian wedding brass bands (see box) says that there are no facts that bear this version out.
“Very few of the families currently involved in the band trade anywhere in India have had any direct involvement with army bands. The owners in the band trade since the early 20th century have been refugees or members of traditional processional music families. The same could be said about bandsmen”.
Bombay Baja
Check this British version of an Indian wedding band out in the song Tenu Leke from the film Salaam-e-Ishq. One of the most sought-after wedding bands in the UK, the eight-piece brass band consists of musicians from musical backgrounds ranging from to jazz and classical.
Their repertoire includes all the top Bollywood, bhangra and Punjabi tunes. They have been on Channel 4 and BBC.
Bollywood Brass Band
This London brass band more or less stumbled into playing music from Indian film scores — but once they became darlings of the city’s large Indian community, they knew they had a good thing going.
They met the Shyam Brass Band from Jabalpur, who were in Britain to perform at the International Festival of Street Music. And the Bollywood Brass Band was created.
Most of the players were already in a street band called Crocodile Style. They have continued to perform and record in a wide variety of musical styles including Hindi film hits, Bhangra and wedding songs tinged with influences from jazz and other world music.
They have also released a critically acclaimed album, Rahmania — a set of 12 mostly high-octane film tunes and four clubby remixes written by AR Rahman.
